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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419779">The Vigilante Group Known As The Phantom Thieves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ContinuousConfusion/pseuds/ContinuousConfusion'>ContinuousConfusion</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Light Angst, My First Fanfic, No Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, No Romance, POV Alternating, Persona 5 Spoilers, Tired Tsukauchi Naomasa, Tsukauchi Naomasa Needs a Break, Tsukauchi Naomasa is So Done</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:34:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419779</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ContinuousConfusion/pseuds/ContinuousConfusion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Persona 5 Spoilers but no Royal Spoilers<br/>Also eventually for My Hero Academia</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Phantom Thieves of Hearts had seen better days. Shabby attics and school dorm rooms were better than the apartment they found themselves in, if only because they didn’t all live together. Fitting seven people and a cat into a three-person apartment was never a great idea, but what other choice did they have? When you get thrown into a completely unfamiliar world with nothing but your clothes, weapons, savings, and items of questionable origin, you have to make some sacrifices. At least they still had their, admittedly weaker, personas.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kurusu Akira &amp; Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Persona 5 Protagonist &amp; Tsukauchi Naomasa, Sakura Futaba &amp; Tsukauchi Naomasa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>333</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Vigilantes were a common problem. Someone wanted to “fight against evil” but couldn’t be bothered to take the right paths towards it. A detective's job is to track these people down and take them in. A lot of these vigilantes were kids looking to help but unable to become heroes for one reason or another. Most of the kids were able to be brought in through fingerprints or blood left on a scene since they don’t have the careful planning that villains or underground heroes have. That’s why when a group of people, likely kids, suddenly appeared and started doing vigilante work without being caught, he took notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking up, he listened to the cat-headed detective in front of him, “Tsukauchi, I have good news and bad news. The good news is we found prints for some of the vigilantes. The bad news is... “ he trailed off awkwardly before hesitantly starting again, “there are no matches whatsoever. We checked multiple times across all the databases we have access to but, there’s nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing at all?” the detective asked, “Have you tried looking for their quirks? They all seem to wield a different element so finding a match shouldn’t be too hard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We tried, sir, but things like fire and electricity are so common. Even then, the weird ones like ‘purple light that gives headaches’ and ‘blue light that feels like electricity’ didn’t show up no matter how we worded it.” The cat met Tsukauchi’s eyes as he said, “These people are entirely off the grid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukauchi sighed before asking, “Tamakawa, do you at least have the profile on them? Anything would be helpful at this rate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes sir, ” the human-cat replied, “It appears that they use code names when speaking to each other along with the elaborate costumes; this means they either are part of a larger organization or have trained together for a long time and have connections. If it’s the latter, they may be siblings or blood brothers of sorts. If they’re part of an organization though things would likely get messy if we tried to capture them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukauchi stopped him with a hand, “This is all very useful but do we have any descriptors or police sketches? Hair color, eye color, age, weight, height, anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tamakawa didn’t meet his eye when he admitted, “Well… some people are saying that they might be teenagers but there’s nothing concrete yet. I know how touchy you get when it comes to vigilante kids but remember, these people are highly trained. You shouldn’t treat them lightly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukauchi reflected upon the situation as he thought, “Great, more kids that shouldn’t be on the streets at night, let alone fighting muggers and murderers. Why is it that the first thing kids turn to when they want to do good is violence and self endangerment? Being a police officer or a detective is perfectly honorable, plus it doesn’t put you in danger nearly as much.” None of that mattered at the moment though, Tsukauchi knew he had to bring in these kids one way or another. He hoped they wouldn’t need jail time to see the error in their ways, but if they didn’t see it, that was always an option. There was no guarantee they were kids though, he really hoped that--.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukauchi’s thoughts were put on hold when his phone began ringing. Hopefully whoever was calling didn’t need his help right away. He wanted to put more thought into this case, hopefully, bring them in before the next school year started. Oddly enough though, the caller ID was blank, not even a ‘no ID’, but instead, completely non-existent. He furrowed his brow as he brought the phone to his ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tsukauchi speaking, how may I help you?” He asked, hesitating only slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello.” A young feminine voice began, “This is Oracle, though you likely do not know me by that name. We found a gang harassing the residents of an apartment building in downtown Fukuoka and took to fix that ourselves. Unfortunately, we do not have the power required to jail them ourselves and we would prefer not to walk directly to a police station now that you have a case on us. We are requesting you come to pick these men up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukauchi’s mouth gaped open. How did she get his number? Was this a member of the vigilantes he was looking for? Did they think that calling the detective in charge of their case was a good idea? Did they know he was in charge in the first place? A million thoughts went through his head at once before he realized he would have to respond, but what to ask first?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you part of the vigilante group that appeared recently?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hesitantly answered, "Yes." before asking again, "Are you picking these men up or not?" letting a small amount of anger slip through her words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukauchi’s quirk told him this was true so he responded, “I’ll send some men over, can you stay on the line with me? I’d like to hear more about your group.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, no can do. We’re busy, plus I don’t know if you’re secretly trying to pinpoint my location. I’ll keep in contact with you about any further criminals we take down.” She sounded somewhere between casual and arrogant as she stated this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a last-ditch effort to get a little more information, but it couldn’t hurt to try, “Wait, can I at least get a name for your group? The file name right now is ‘vigilante group 30/12/16’ which isn’t great.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright. We are the Phantom Thieves. You will be hearing more from me in the future. Goodbye.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hung up leaving Tsukauchi and a confused Tamakawa alone once again. The contents of the call were written down, and true to his word, men were sent to look for the gang. A few minutes later though, he received a message from Oracle. An address with the words, “we are hopeful you cooperate” typed out under it. Tsukauchi sent the address to the people in the field, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought about the case at hand. A group of completely anonymous teenagers with enough experience to take down a gang terrorizing an apartment building. Not only do they have the battle experience, their hacker, ‘Oracle’, was able to find and call the phone number of a high ranking detective. Tsukauchi had to wonder, what kind of life leads to these kinds of people?</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Phantom Thieves of Hearts had seen better days. Shabby attics and school dorm rooms were better than the apartment they found themselves in, if only because they didn’t all live together. Fitting seven people and a cat into a three-person apartment was never a great idea, but what other choice did they have? When you get thrown into a completely unfamiliar world with nothing but your clothes, weapons, savings, and items of questionable origin, you have to make some sacrifices. At least they still had their, admittedly weaker, personas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ending up with not enough money and a lot of hard to carry stuff was never the plan, but life had different plans for the group. Plans like giving them magic powers, taking down a prime minister, fighting god, losing, and then being dragged into a world where everyone has completely different magic powers. The most important thing for now though was survival, and that required money. While getting a job seemed like a good idea there would eventually be questions like “who are you”, “where’s your birth certificate” or “how come there’s no record of you existing beyond the last few months”. That left them with two options, steal or stretch their savings as far as possible. Ironically enough, the Phantom Thieves chose not to steal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, there would have to be some source of housing, food, and money though. The best-case scenario would be some financial aid from someone who wants to help them, but who would take in a bunch of kids and their cat? After researching possible ideas Futaba stumbled upon a solution, good schools were willing to pay for less well off students to go to them. If they could convince a board of directors that they were worth it the Phantom Thieves would no longer have to live in a tiny apartment rationing food. Only one school made sense at that point, UA highschool.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Given enough time Futaba would be able to fake school records and birth certificates, but that meant that they would have to get into the school. They had a few months to prepare the... less school-focused members for the written test along with already being a year or more ahead, so that part wouldn’t be too much of an issue. The bigger issue was getting at least one person into the hero course. Being brought into another world was great and all, but they still wanted to get back. Finding a way to move through realities would require connections and research, and they only had a specialist in one of those categories. Joker was perfect for the position of ‘connection-making hero’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The money and training problems came with a not so obvious solution, vigilantism. Some kind strangers would give money or snacks in return for being saved while giving them all valuable experience. This all lead up to the rough situation of trying to act as vigilantes while getting ready to go to the biggest hero school in the country. All while Joker tried to become strong enough to get into the hero department. After an interesting night of training and vigilantism, Akira reached the apartment along with Yusuke, Morgana, Haru, and Futaba. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We return with sustenance!” Futaba exclaimed into the quiet room, startling Ryuji, Ann, and Makoto.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ryuji groaned, “Thank goodness, dude. My brain hurts with all the studying Makoto forced us to do.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to get this down by the time the entrance exams come around.” Makoto scolded while grabbing food for the study group, “Otherwise you might not get into the school and we’ll have to completely restructure our plan. You wouldn’t want that, </span>
  <em>
    <span>would you?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“N-no queen…” Ryuji stuttered out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hurry up, you know the drill people, shower order goes whoever needs it most and I vote Yusuke.” Morgana teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I most certainly do no-” Yusuke stopped, “Well, maybe I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Yusuke started taking up the only bathroom the rest of the thieves began to eat. The field crew recounted what happened, explaining their exchange with the detective. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean to tell me that you called the detective trying to capture us… and gave him a location that you were currently at?” Makoto asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean… yeah,” Akira admitted, following quickly, “but we were out of there right after. I was a little worried about Futaba talking with him, but she did really well. She used her serious Alibaba speaking style and it worked.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mweheheh! The great Alibaba strikes fear into the hearts of all no matter what universe!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It may be tough, but do you think you’ll be able to handle the communication with him from now on? I don’t want to risk too many people being heard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can count on me! I want to be paid in instant ramen... I don’t think now is the best time for that though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ughhhhh.” Ryuji groaned, “Why does all the cool stuff happen while we’re studying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could probably take a break...” Akira admitted, “how about this, prove you’ve got enough of this down for now and I’ll take you on the next training session.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm… If I may interject,” Haru started, “was it a good idea to call the detective? There were probably more ways we could have made sure that they were arrested, and with how different superpowers there are in this universe, it may be that we just set ourselves up for being found out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nahhh, it’s totally fine! I made sure that the call was totally untraceable and even used a slight voice changer. Any reasonable method of finding us out is totally off the table!” A confident Futaba explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and now that our name is out there we can finally bring back calling cards! That was the coolest part of the job to me.” Ann excitedly realized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Calling cards? But there’s no point anymore, we aren’t messing with cognition. We don’t even need to open any doors in mementos.” Morgana remarked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but why not? It’s a good idea to get our name out there anyways. I still wanna bring hope to those in need and what better way than to have a group of people doing whatever it takes to help them? Heroes are all high and mighty, and we can be, like, the opposite of that! People lurking in the shadows not bogged down by what we are and aren’t allowed to do. Calling cards are great for that effect!” A remarkably passionate Ann explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm… that is a good way of looking at it Lady Ann. We should talk about it tomorrow after everyone on the field team has showered I expect you all to sleep.“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone gave their affirmations as they got ready to sleep, shifting between rooms to change. The Phantom Thieves drifted off to sleep one by one. The soft breath of his teammates echoed in the background as Akira once again thought through the events of the night. He couldn’t help but feel like something went wrong tonight, that something would come of it soon. Searching through his memories of the evening he couldn’t find anything out of place, nor any kind of reason to be worried. The sense of dread lingered though, squeezing his chest a little as he slowly fell asleep himself. If the feeling continued into the next day, he would have told someone, but he couldn’t do anything now. He let sleep take him into the next day, hoping it will go away.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I’ll go in to question him, stay here to watch. If he tries anything, chase him so long as you aren’t in danger. Remember, despite being a vigilante he’s probably just a kid.”</p><p>Tsukauchi headed into the interrogation room as Eraserhead glared at the vigilante through one-way glass. This would be an… interesting chat in one way or another.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Please I don’t have any money! I’m just a kid!”</p><p> </p><p>“Gimme your phone then, brat!”</p><p> </p><p>“It has location tracking stuff on it, do you really want it?”</p><p> </p><p>The knife-wielding man sighed, “No… I guess not. Goddamnit!” He slammed a fist against the brick wall of the alley, “Well since you’ve seen my face it looks like I have no choice bu-”</p><p> </p><p>Electricity filled the air before the man could move towards his target. He had only a second to open his eyes in shock before it hit him and his muscles started contracting. Despite the pain, he remained standing and searched for his attacker. His eyes settled on the shadowy figures above him, cursing under his breath before they jumped down. Against the four of them, he didn’t stand a chance. He was on the ground, hands tied behind his back before he knew what hit him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! It feels great finally bein’ out and about after so long!” A man in a skull mask yelled. He looked like a biker dressed in full black with a red ribbon awkwardly torn and strewn across his neck.</p><p> </p><p>Another one, this one wearing an odd black and white mask, told him off, “Skull, quiet down. We don’t want unneeded attention.”  He was also dressed in full black, a tailcoat with a fancy shirt beneath it, red gloves giving a hint of color to the outfit.</p><p> </p><p>Skull, presumably, responded quieter, “Whoops. Sorry Joker, it’s been a while though, hasn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>“You guys do realize the guy he was mugging is still here, right?” A woman wearing a cat-like mask and skin-tight suit asked them. Her entire outfit was red, along with blonde hair and an impressive amount of cleavage.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, shit, sorry dude. Totally didn’t cross my mind. Sorry you had that happen to ya, but it’s all good now, right?” Skull asked the child.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhh, who are you guys?” The kid asked back, completely confused.</p><p> </p><p>“We are the Phantom Thieves! A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” A quiet girl near the back of the group said. She looked straight out of the eighteenth century with a ridiculous feather in her hat, but the grenades on her belt and ax on her shoulder made him not want to comment on it.</p><p> </p><p>Instead, he asked, “Sooo… which one of you has the electricity quirk?”</p><p> </p><p>“That would be me! Isn’t it awesome?!” Skull nearly yelled.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! I’ve got one too, but I can’t use it much. Do you have those kinds of problems too?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorta? It’s kinda hard to explain but it causes my brain to hurt and such, makes it harder to think. Some stuff fixes it, but it always goes away after a good nap.”</p><p> </p><p>Joker cut in, “We really should be going, Oracle already sent our position to the police. We don’t want to be here when they are.”</p><p> </p><p>“What? Why? Aren’t you pro heroes or something?” The kid asked, completely confused.</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, we don’t got a license or anything. We’re vigilantes!” Skull said, excited at the idea. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s really cool! I’ll look out for you guys on the news.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks…”</p><p> </p><p>“Kaminari! If I find you, could you teach me how to control my electricity?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhh… I dunno kid. I’m not exactly a teacher, but if you-”</p><p> </p><p>“Skull. We’re leaving. <em> Now </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“See ya, kid! Wait for the police though!”</p><p> </p><p>The vigilantes leave as Kaminari thought to himself, “Maaan, I hope they don’t get caught. If I meet them again I’ll thank them.”</p><p> </p><p>His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of sirens getting closer, coming to a stop outside the alleyway. A few police officers spilled out of the cop cars along with a detective. Nobody was calling him detective or anything but with the whole tan tailcoat and hat thing going on, he at least looked the part. The detective walked up to Kaminari, clearly a bit angry, and began to question him about what happened. Kaminari told them what he knew, not thinking there was anything to leave out for their safety. Due to the less than great area he was in, the cops decided to give him a ride home. On his way he texted his mom, letting her know what happened and that he’d be back soon. He snapped away from his phone when he heard the detectives’ phone ring.</p><p> </p><p>As he picked up the phone he asked, “Eraser, this is Tsukauchi, did you catch them?”</p><p> </p><p>Someone spoke on the other line for a while before Tsukauchi responded, “Yes! We’ll take him in for questioning. Get the quirk suppressing cuffs on him as soon as possible.”</p><p> </p><p>Kaminari was pretty sure he knew what happened, but he was still hoping that the Phantom Thieves would be alright.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Eraserhead was not happy when Tsukauchi called him to take care of a new group of vigilantes that had popped up. He was even less happy when he found out they had Tsukauchi’s phone number. He was very unhappy when they started using it to send them criminals to lock up. These vigilantes had too much power, he was sure of it and had to be taken in quickly. What really upset him though, was when he heard them speak for the first time. They were kids. Most likely teenagers to be exact, but kids. He couldn’t let a bunch of kids possibly ruin their future like this, just because they couldn’t wait to get a hero license.</p><p> </p><p>As Eraserhead and the Phantom Thieves ran across the rooftops, Eraser tried to think of a way to take them all in. This wasn’t the whole group, he knew, this was a small squad that they set up. The people changed, from a latex cat lady to a mad max biker, even a humanoid cat, but there was one consistent factor in the group. A kid with messy hair, a small black and white mask, and a long black tailcoat. He was, presumably, the leader, so if he could be caught the others may soon follow. They had already been doing this for a couple of minutes, so It was a better plan than following them all night at least.</p><p> </p><p>Throwing his capture-scarf towards the leader’s leg and activating his quirk, Eraserhead pulled the kid away from the group. The others turned around quickly, but the boy, now on the ground, quickly yelled to them, “Keep going! Don’t let yourselves get caught!” Eraser didn’t know what the kid was trying to pull, but he didn’t seem to be resisting much. It was odd how incredibly easy it seemed to be, he didn’t even seem to put up a fight. Instead of mulling it over alone, Eraser pulled out his phone and called Tsukauchi. After talking for a minute they agreed to take him to the nearest police station with an adequate interrogation room. </p><p> </p><p>Choosing his words carefully, Eraser told the kid, “We’re moving you. You did the right thing by giving yourself up, but you’re still going to be in a lot of trouble for all that you’ve done.”</p><p> </p><p>The kid complied, still tied up by the cloth, and walked with Eraserhead. The kid wasn’t moving fast, but he wasn’t resisting yet. They, with a little effort, got off the roof and started walking to the station. It wasn’t too far of a walk but Eraser didn’t plan on letting the kid out of his sight. He knew how vigilantes were, if you even give them a sliver of hope to escape, they would fight tooth and nail to take advantage of it. After a solid few minutes of walking, they finally saw the lights of the station in front of them. The kid still hadn’t spoken nor tried anything, so Eraserhead was extremely on guard as they walked into the station. Somehow, the kid was brought into an interrogation room without any incident. Quirk suppressing handcuffs were put on him along with normal ones attaching him to the table.</p><p> </p><p>Waiting for Tsukauchi, Eraser began to ponder what happened. The Phantom Thieves save a kid from a mugger, run away, and leave their behind leader after only a few words from him. It seemed way too easy, especially since this group had been pestering the police for a couple of months now. Could they really be taken down by a single pro? Before the train of thought could continue Tsukauchi burst through the door, attempting to catch his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“Is he really in there?” Tsukauchi panted.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.” Eraser pointed to the room, “I nabbed him from his group and they didn’t even put up a fight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? You’d think…”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. It’s odd. We should definitely keep a close eye on him. He’s all tied up too, both kinds of handcuffs.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go in to question him, stay here to watch. If he tries anything, chase him so long as you aren’t in danger. Remember, despite being a vigilante he’s probably just a kid.”</p><p> </p><p>Tsukauchi headed into the interrogation room as Eraserhead glared at the vigilante through one-way glass. This would be an… interesting chat in one way or another.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Stepping into the interrogation room, it immediately hit Tsukauchi how absolutely unbothered this kid is. His face, although partially hidden by a mask, still displays a cocky smirk that screams ‘this is a trap’. He’s laid back, draping himself over the chair, one leg crossed over the other. Even with two types of handcuffs on he seemed to be content. He looked as comfortable in the metal, unpadded, fold-out chair as one could get. Tsukauchi knew he had his work cut out for him, but he would have to make sure this kid knew his actions were wrong and would have consequences.</p><p> </p><p>He sat down at the other side of the table, “Hello, I am Detective Tsukauchi. We don’t want to hurt or detain you, but your actions and answers will decide which road you go down.” The kid didn’t respond so he continued, “What’s your name?”</p><p> </p><p>Waiting for a second, the child answered, “Joker”, and Tsukauchi’s quirk said he lied.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t need to use a pseudonym, I want to know your real name.”</p><p> </p><p>The kid smirked, <em> smirked </em>, before saying, ”Joker’s all you’re getting.”</p><p> </p><p>Tsukauchi sighed. This was going to be a long interrogation. “Alright, Joker, is it true that you are the leader of the Phantom Thieves?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>The detective did a small double-take, the kid had admitted to being the leader of a vigilante group just like that? No mind games, mental traps, or attempted escapes. Just a confession right as they started talking. Either this was going to be way easier than he thought or the kid had a lot of tricks up his sleeves.</p><p> </p><p>“Ok. Let me explain your options, you can either-”</p><p> </p><p>Joker cuts in, voice flat but angry, “I can either turn myself in for a reduced sentence and the expectation of selling out my fellow thieves, or I can be arrested, tried, and sentenced to prison. That sound about right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, that is correct. From how you described it, I expect you don’t want to turn yourself in. Why is that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I will not sell out my fellow thieves. I’ve been put into this situation before. I didn’t then and I won’t now.”</p><p> </p><p>His words were true, this could mean a lot for the case. He’d been arrested before and interrogated. That would mean he was in the police system, which means his identity could be found out. It was a step in the right direction at least, but a little more information would help.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean, similar situation? Were you caught at some point before this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we were sold out by a teammate, it sucked. I was dragged underground, beaten half to death, injected with some truth serum that didn’t even work, and interrogated. I might still have a scar on my wrists from the handcuffs.” He awkwardly pulled on his bright red gloves, restricted by the pairs of handcuffs.</p><p> </p><p>Wow. Every word was true. That… That was really bad. A lot of vigilantes are mad at the world for various reasons, but this kid had a good reason at this point. No matter what he was doing before getting caught, the police treated him wrong. No kid deserves to go through such brutal treatment.</p><p> </p><p>“I… wow. Do you know any names? Anyone who was involved with it? That kind of treatment from the police is completely unacceptable.”</p><p> </p><p>Joker sighed, a sad smile being suppressed better than the renewed fire in his eyes, “It doesn’t matter anymore. We took care of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Once again, telling the truth. Whatever ‘took care of it’ means, it probably won’t be useful enough information to figure out the kid’s identity. Tsukauchi asks instead, “Why did the Phantom Thieves start? Wouldn’t it be easier to become heroes instead of skirting the law?”</p><p> </p><p>“That wasn’t a choice. We weren’t going to sit down and watch as injustice took the lives of our classmates.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean, of your classmates?”</p><p> </p><p>“There was a teacher. A really bad guy, like assault and rape kind of bad.” Tsukauchi cringed a little at the description, “He was threatening people I cared about and we couldn’t do anything. He won awards, brought the school fame, all around untouchable. So we took him down a few pegs.”</p><p> </p><p>“And you’re certain that no hero, nor investigator could help you? Vigilantism isn’t the-”</p><p> </p><p>“No. He had the school around his finger. What were some kids going to say that could convince people that the award-winning coach was in the wrong? Especially when both were ‘delinquents’ and one had a history with the guy.”</p><p> </p><p>The detective admitted, “That does sound like a difficult situation. I’m sorry to hear that happened to you, but unfortunately, vigilantism is still illegal. At this rate, you’ll be sent to prison for multiple acts of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Joker smirked again, “How likely is it for me to actually arrive in jail? I mean, you’ve seen me in action, I could just break out.”</p><p> </p><p>“You already have the quirk suppressing handcuffs on, you can’t do anything with those on.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, Mr. Detective. You wanna make a bet?”</p><p> </p><p>“That you can get out? I don’t want to encourage any rash decisions on your part. You are still just a kid; this could ruin your life.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s an old threat, how many times do you think I’ve heard that one before? It doesn’t matter anyway, I’m not sticking around.”</p><p> </p><p>“What does that-” Tsukauchi got cut off by loud popping. He looked to his right just in time to see the wall blast apart, covering the room in dust and smoke. He called for Eraser before trying to grab Joker. Instead of the kid he was interrogating he finds an empty seat and a bright red card. Eraser burst into the room, jumping through the now open wall. Sirens blared in the background, but the detective was mostly focused on the card that he picks up. On the front, he sees a top hat with a single blazing eye. Flipping it over he finds a message directed at himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry Tsuka, the rest of the thieves were getting bored. I hope you had a great time getting useless information out of me, I had a great time providing it. With great love, Joker and the Phantom Thieves.”</p><p> </p><p>Those vigilantes really just put their leader in possible danger just to mess with the police. They definitely could have broken him out at any point, there was no doubt about it. They fed him what they saw as useless information just to mess with the police, no,<em> him </em>. “These really are just a bunch of kids, well-rounded adults don’t do things this… petty,” he thinks to himself. This was going to be a difficult case, with the power they wield it would be hard to take them in, and adding on top a willingness to put their lives at stake for stupid reasons. These were either the most confident or stupidest people Tsukauchi had ever met.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“And that my ‘fellow thieves’ is how you make a detective both feel bad for you and want you dead.” </p><p> </p><p>“Makoto’s really gonna kill us, isn’t she?” Ann complained as they made their way home.</p><p> </p><p>“If she plans on killing anyone, it’ll be me. Don’t worry though, we can all just claim it was to throw off the detective. I mean, he’s definitely going to be searching for that time I was arrested. Too bad the record doesn’t exist anymore huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“You really are way too casual about this. Are you sure we didn’t mess up?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we’re probably fine, I didn’t reveal anything about us that could be important. I’m just trying to convince myself Makoto isn’t going to kill us for this.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm already working on the next chapter but uploads will be irregular because I write in bursts usually</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tsukauchi was not having a great day. The Phantom Thieves had reacted to his interview, not just reacted, countered it. Their response seemed well planned, they appealed to the people much more effectively than most vigilantes. With how much they appeared to want their image to be good, it would almost seem they were seeking attention or fame. The detective had to set that aside though, the phone call he was going to make was highly important. It may take a favor or two, but he’d need all the help he could get.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey look I'm not dead</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hello everybody and welcome back to Sakura TV! We have some exciting news tonight, there is a new group of vigilantes that have popped up! There have been reports of small groups of costumed individuals stopping muggings and robberies recently, but the police have now officially recognized them. We have an interview with Detective Tsukauchi, and afterward, we’ll go into our own speculations! The video should be on screen shortly.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the clip, Tsukauchi sat across from a plain-looking woman with short, brown hair and a loose-fitting red dress. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a black suit coat over it, and, although he was doing well hiding it, he looked slightly nervous. The interview had been set up to inform the public about the new vigilantes and quell some rumors about them. When rumors about vigilantes and sympathetic villains start going there’s almost no way to stop them, and if given enough time, the public may choose them to be in the right over the police. Tsukauchi had to stop this, and what better way than to publicly denounce them before their rise to fame and provide real facts about them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The interviewer began by saying, “We have Detective Tsukauchi here to talk about a new group of vigilantes that have recently come into the spotlight. I’d first like to ask, do they have a name they go by? If not, do the police have a name for them?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi calmly stated, “One of their members said that they go by ‘The Phantom Thieves’. We decided that it was a good enough name to use for the case file as well.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Waiting for a second, the woman asked, “You say one of the members gave you that name? Can you describe how the interaction went?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The detective faltered before saying, “I’m sorry but that information’s classified.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That's fine,” she started, “but if I may ask, does that interaction have anything to do with the break-in at the police station recently?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it doesn’t.” Tsukauchi quickly denied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did the Phantom Thieves have to do with the break-in?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi shifted awkwardly in his chair. After a tense silence, he responded, “Yes. I would prefer not to go into that until later though if that’s alright with you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok. Next question, how big is this group? We’ve heard of people saying anywhere from four to fifty.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The detective began to look more comfortable while answering, “We have confirmed that there are at least six members. Each person appears to wear a different costume based on eyewitness accounts. We find it highly unlikely that they switch costumes or have any way to change their appearances using a quirk. The details on their outfits will be released soon after this interview, and please, call the police or any heroes if you see these people.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Interesting. Do you believe there are more than six members?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He thought for a second before replying, “It is highly likely. Some members of the group may not be in the public eye yet, instead, taking a support role in their operations.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The interviewer softly hmm-ed to herself, the detective looking much more comfortable than before. She continued her questioning by asking, “Do you have any suspects?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi’s display of comfort stopped, he hesitated before admitting, “No, not at the moment. We are searching through quirk registries and the police databases though, so a suspect or group of suspects should come very soon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you share with us what their quirks are?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He paused before saying, “No, sorry. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share that and would prefer to be on the safe side of things.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hmm-ed again, putting a little more disappointment into the sound. Undeterred she continued, “It’s, unfortunately, nearing the end of our interview,” Tsukauchi relaxed a little, until she asked, “would it be alright if you shared some information on the break-in?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I can share some of the details.” He cleared his voice, “A pro hero was able to capture and bring into an interrogation room one of the Phantom Thieves. We successfully got both normal and quirk suppressing handcuffs on him and I began to interview him.” The interviewer’s eyes widened a bit, though she suppressed it soon after. “After I asked him a few questions I told him that we were planning on bringing him to jail as he was not cooperating. He said something about leaving before one of his teammates broke down the wall next to us. He escaped, leaving behind a card with an odd symbol on it, I assume a logo they came up with. It was meant to be inflammatory and insulting to the police and myself. We surveyed the area around the station but unfortunately, nobody could be found.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you saying he was brought into police custody and escaped?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi tensed more at the question before responding, “Yes, we assumed that if we brought down their leader that the others would follow suit. It did not work as intended this time, but we will be more than prepared the next time an opportunity presents itself to us.” A fire lit in his eyes, calming some of his tension, “The Phantom Thieves will be arrested and put on trial, I will make sure of it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The interviewer smirked before saying, “That’s quite a show of passion, detective. I have one more question to ask you before our time is up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I will answer it if I can.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you. Do you have a rough estimate of their age? A lot of vigilantes end up being younger people, especially of the early twenties range, and it would help to know how much experience they have.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi sighed internally. The most dreaded question right before they finished their interview. This wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t anything he could do now. “We do not know for certain, but most evidence points to them being teenagers, most likely from about fifteen to nineteen.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not skipping a beat, the interviewer apologized for not being able to talk longer before cutting back to the Sakura TV host. Shown next to him on the screen were police sketches of the Phantom Thieves that had been seen, some much more accurate than others. The most accurate being Joker, while people like Queen were drawn more similarly to Panther than their actual appearance. The host continued with theories about the thieves, outlandish claims being thrown around like confetti at a birthday party. The goal of the interview may have been to diminish the fame of these new vigilantes, but unfortunately, the media were looking for a new story to latch onto. The Phantom Thieves’ name would not die out anytime soon.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God damn it!” Ryuji yelled at the TV, “That guy pisses me off!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira grabbed the blond’s shoulder, “He’s trying to make us mad. We can’t fall for the bait.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know but I’m still pissed! Isn’t there anything we can do?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…” Futaba cut in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana stopped her, “Oh no, we aren’t doing anything stupid again. Whatever you’re thinking of will have to go through me and Makoto.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Futaba yelled at the cat, “My plans are more chaotic than stupid, give me some credit!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the idea?” Akira asked, stopping the argument.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, this may take a little explaining but…” Futaba began while typing on her laptop, “what does a company do when they get in a controversy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Either ignore it or make an official statement?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bingo. Now, we’ll have to vote on this, but I don’t think we can ignore it. Even if the media is split on us, people usually side with the police over so-called criminals.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So you’re saying we make an official statement? We aren’t hacking into a news station again, and a letter to the police could be lost or changed. That leaves something online, but anyone can claim to be the Phantom Thieves.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyone can claim to be the Phantom Thieves, but not everyone can prove it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So we post on some forum ‘Hey guys, Phantom Thieves here! Here’s proof! We aren’t the bad guys’ or something?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope! We don’t just post it on some forum, we make our own.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira’s eyes widen as he realizes, “Another Phan-Site.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Futaba quickly nods, “Another Phan-Site!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, wait, wait.” Morgana held up his paws trying to get their attention, “I get that you’re doing it to make us look better, but how’s another Phan-Site gonna do that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d guess that if we do what we did before, let people give targets and talk about us openly, we’d start being seen as vigilantes of the people instead of some random group of people.” Akira muttered, “But the issue is finding those targets in the real world along with not being seen as some brutal democratic hitmen.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have a solution for that!” Futaba exclaimed, catching the attention of Akira and Morgana, “We write down some of the rules that we’ve been going by all this time. Stuff like ‘don’t kill’ and ‘all targets must be unanimous’. Letting people see how we act and govern ourselves is a surefire way to get people more attached to us, it’s like when you finally get that tragic backstory for a character you didn’t like before!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What about finding the criminals they suggest?” Morgana asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We look for them, obviously! Well, I look for them and you guys actually go out to find them. Remember, I’m still a master hacker. Finding someone on security cameras in a general area is easy for me, I’d just need a general location, appearance, and crime so we don’t just target random people. We’d need some kind of system for weeding out false reports, but it would probably be doable.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You put a lot of thought into this, huh?” Akira quirked an eyebrow at Futaba.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I did! I’ve been bored out of my mind since I figured out how to hack again. Being your guys’ support is good and all, but I still want a pet project.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that settles it in my mind at least, what do you think, Morgana?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t see anything wrong with it, but we’d still have to be careful. If the Phantom Thieves began targeting the wrong people the public would turn on us instantly. I guess the only person left to convince is Makoto.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji grinned, “Hell yeah! I’m in on it too, of course, but this should still probably be unanimous. Good luck convincing Makoto though, especially after the stunt we pulled.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’ll be fine though.” Akira assured him, “I think with how much Futaba has thought about it she’ll be on board. I do wonder how the detective will react, I bet he wasn’t expecting a battle of public relations.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi was not having a great day. The Phantom Thieves had reacted to his interview, not just reacted, countered it. Their response seemed well planned, they appealed to the people much more effectively than most vigilantes. With how much they appeared to want their image to be good, it would almost seem they were seeking attention or fame. The detective had to set that aside though, the phone call he was going to make was highly important. It may take a favor or two, but he’d need all the help he could get.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nedzu, this is Tsukauchi. I think I need your help.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh?” He sounded curious, “And what could you need my help on? Something to do with those vigilantes you’re after?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, actually. Have you seen the news about them recently?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t say I have. Please enlighten me on the situation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukauchi knew this was a lie but was happy to rant about them all the same, “Well, they made a website. We’ve been working on taking it down, but all attempts so far haven’t really resulted in much. The issue isn’t the website though, it’s the fact that people are turning away from the police and towards these vigilantes. I’ve read what they put on there, it’s incredibly well written with that purpose in mind. If I weren’t a detective it would probably bring me over to their side.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And how do we know this isn’t just some enthusiast?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They provided some details that only the police and themselves would know. The contents of that card they left, what was said during the interrogation, etcetera.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So this is truly coming from the Phantom Thieves…” Nedzu trailed off, “Are you asking me to help ruin their reputation?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes sir, or if you would prefer, you can help us try to capture them. We wouldn’t mind an extra hand in that department. That is if you agree to help us at all, I understand that as- ”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nedzu interrupted, “I would love to help, Tsukauchi. I have been finding myself interested in them as of late, and aiding in capturing them would be interesting on its own.” Although not visible, the smirk on his face was obvious.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir. Your help may be instrumental in taking down these vigilantes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re very welcome. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually, I do have one final question.” Tsukauchi hesitated, “If these vigilantes are as young as we think they are, would they have any place in your school? So long as we can convince them to give up being vigilantes of course.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seeing how well they have handled themselves against pro heroes and the police… I do not doubt that they would find a place in my school if they so chose to go there. The politics behind it may be difficult, but giving children a future is certainly more important.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, that’s all I wanted to know. Have a good night Nedzu.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have a good night as well Tsukauchi. I hope both of us can get what we want out of these Phantom Thieves.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto started the conversation bluntly, “Bad news. Seems like someone’s trying to make us look bad. My bet’s on the police.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira looked up at the ceiling of their apartment and sighed as Ryuji groaned, saying “God damn it! Can we not be messed with for five seconds? Even dragged somewhere else we’re still made to look like the bad guys!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana asked, “What’s happened? Is another detective acting self-righteous on a news channel?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s worse,” Makoto responded, pinching the bridge of her nose, “they’re turning every news channel against us. They’ve all switched sides, spreading misinformation about us instead of the praise we heard just a few days earlier.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yusuke tilted his head, thinking aloud, “Do they perhaps believe that we would be more inclined to turn ourselves in if the public went against us? They have the wrong idea about us then, our conviction is unwavering even in this storm of outrage.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope.” Akira popped the ‘p’, still staring at the ceiling, “They’re trying to ruin us so if we </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> caught there won’t be riots. Imagine the ‘fighters of justice’ being captured versus some group of thugs breaking the law.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That was precisely what I wanted to bring up.” Makoto frowned, “The issue now though is how to respond. On the Phan-Site we’re already back down to fifteen percent believing we’re in the right, down from the peak of thirty-five percent.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Futaba nodded, summing it up with, “We’re bleeding and we need to find a way to recover from the status condition.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ann frowned, “Is there any way to prove the rumors wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto responded, also frowning, “No. The lies were crafted in such a way that we cannot prove our innocence. Things like attacking civilians who are now too scared to make statements to play on television. The attack seems to be crafted by someone either very intelligent or at least skilled in the art of destroying a reputation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Futaba,” Akira sighed, “check the detective’s calls.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto gave him a ‘breaking the law should not be this natural to you’ look as Futaba brought up the call history. She hummed as she worked, checking who the calls were to and when they took place. The names nobody recognized were looked up, eventually coming across the name Nedzu. The information on him was interesting, an experiment that ran U.A. high, along with having incredible intelligence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji announced, “Well, it looks like we found our man… bear… rat? Ratty bear-man? Man-rat of-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ryuji.” Makoto stopped him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, sorry, but how are we gonna beat something with super intelligence?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why, by being the perfect little angels we are of course.” Akira chuckled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ann side-eyed him, “Do I want to know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think what he’s trying to say,” Makoto interjected, “is that if we act like good people and continue bringing in criminals we may stay unaffected.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not quite.”Akira opposed, “Instead, I say we up our patrols and request answering, along with doing some good PR on the Phan-Site. I’m not entirely certain on how but if we can make ourselves out to be sympathetic and relatable, we may be able to draw people back despite the rumors.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ooh! You told Tsuka Uchiha,” Futaba got dirty looks from everyone but Yusuke, “about that teacher, right? Why not give the public that information?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please never compare the detective to a Naruto character again, but yeah. We could reveal why we each join the thieves, it would make us look way better. Are you sure none of this could lead to our capture?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yusuke, completely misreading the conversation, asked, “What is Naruto?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Later.” Makoto said, brushing him off, “We would need to be very careful, but I do think this would be our best form of action. We wouldn’t reveal any names, nor anything that can be traced back to us, but if we’re smart this would work.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ann quickly added, “I agree! More patrolling sounds like a good idea, but I’ll just trust you guys on the Phan-Site stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We should call a vote on everything, unanimous agreement is an important part of us being Phantom Thieves after all.” Morgana decided.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The voting went quickly, nobody against the proposed options, so they started working on what to say. They wrote about why the Phantom Thieves were created, how a teacher was taking advantage of students while being untouchable himself. How they knew nobody would do anything. How a mentor and father figure killed his friend to have their creation to himself, then raised her son to slave away for him. How a mafia boss was exploiting their friends for money, ruining lives for the next stack of cash. How one was sent into a deep depression because somebody wanted her mother’s research. How a powerful individual was willing to sell off his own daughter for political success. How none of them could sit down and take the injustice the world gave them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ann broke the strained silence with, “It may be a little weird having our whole story out there, but it feels a little… liberating.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I understand what you mean, lady Ann. I wish I could have my own section, but without knowing my own past…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, Morgana.” Akira comforted his cat, “We’ll figure it out someday.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yusuke interrupted, “While I would love to draw the liberation we’re all feeling as we set off, looking hopefully into the future, I must ask once again, what is Naruto?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So uhhh sorry for this taking over a week. Life's been busy and I rewrote some of the chapter a couple of times. Next chapter will be fun because Futaba's gonna discover something that could destabilize a lot of Japan. Stay tuned or something for the PR war to end so the Phantom Thieves can actually begin messing with the MHA story</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An electric buzzing in the teams’ ear appeared and with it came Oracle, “Store robber running. Three blocks forward, seven to the left. Heading to your right. Should be able to catch ‘em between blocks three and five.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am indeed alive. Rip uploading amiright?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was another day in the early February chill. The Phantom Thieves themselves were strewn across the room doing their own thing as a group. Their apartment was a little too cold, it was cheap for a reason, but a few thin blankets fixed that problem for most of them. With the entrance exam being soon, Ryuji, Ann, and Makoto were reviewing a few subjects. Yusuke was sketching Futaba as she worked to keep up the information flow from the police, silently lamenting the cheapness of his art supplies. The rest of the Phantom Thieves were resting in some capacity, trying to gather enough energy to patrol another night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mweheheh!” Futaba suddenly chuckled, “Our friendly neighborhood detective is getting serious! Looks like this PR war is getting physical!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji furrowed his brow looking over, “What’s that s’posed to mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s calling in more heroes! We can take any of them easily, so it’s like free Exp!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira sighed. He did not want to have to deal with more threats. Before he could reply Makoto asked, “Are you certain we can beat them?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep!” was Futaba’s instant response. “Most of them are close-ranged fighters so we can just keep our distance. Though there are a couple that might cause a few issues, one of them uses sound attacks by screaming and the other cancels our abilities through sight.” She paused to think “I don’t actually know if the canceler will work on us though since our powers are different.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto hmm-ed, “We’d better prepare for the worst so I’ll think of some ways to deal with that. It would be bad if we lost our personas, but it’d be much worse if we lost our metaverse agility too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And I have a few ideas on the sound one.” Akira added, “Go for the mouth or incapacitation. Ann got the sleep spell recently, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep!” Ann smiled, “So long as it works I can take anybody out! It sucks that it’s a chance thing though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira frowned, “It would look really bad if we beat up heroes. We should aim for alternative methods of winning fights, running away if necessary along with status effects.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhh…” Ryuji started, “I may be wrong but wouldn’t beating up a bunch of pros make us more liked? Y’know, proving we’re so strong.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The strategists exchanged a glance, a quick silent debate that was missed by their teammates. After a few seconds they broke away, Akira smirking and Makoto scowling. “You aren’t wrong that being strong brings in a lot of supporters, but being too brutal turns you into a bad guy. Not to mention the heroes could spin the story to look like we were the bad guys if we cause too much damage. We aren’t going to kill or cause lasting damage, that’s a given, but we would be roughing up some really famous people who haven’t done anything wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sooo..?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira’s smirk grew into Joker’s signature cocky grin, “We’re going to prove our strength, both to the people and Tsukauchi.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A variety of cheers and sighs spread through the thieves, excitement and nervousness accompanying it. Nobody was prepared for Akira, maybe slipping into his Joker persona, to propose another idea. “We’ll have to make the debut during the day. The more people that know about us the more leverage we can use to find our way home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The mixed emotions in the room became more jumbled with those words, fear, nervousness, and excitement, being the most prominent. Makoto stood in shock, not seeing this in their argument, while Ryuji sported a wide grin. Futaba was full of fear, the many risks giving her anxiety, but she resigned herself to start researching other debuts in case they actually went through with this. Ann felt nervous, excitement slipping through somewhat, Morgana was gaping at Akira’s boldness, and Haru was staring at her lap, wondering if this was for the best. Yusuke delicately held his chin in his hand thinking of the possibilities in the concept of a debut as Phantom Thieves doing their best for the people.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana was the first to talk. “What!? We’re Phantom Thieves, not some low budget superhero team! We work in the shadows to take down criminals, we don’t parade down the streets looking pretty for people!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to agree with Morgana.” Makoto stated, “Do you really believe this is the right choice? More fame brings more opportunities, but this seems to be more of a risk than a benefit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji disagreed, “I think it’s kick-ass! Since the famous heroes are out durin’ the day too we could run into them, winnin’ a fight with them would make us look super good!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Futaba hmm-ed, “So the pros and cons are more opportunities but a chance of this backfiring. I’d bet the waves get stronger each time we beat them too, they won’t keep sending trash mobs. If we go daytime we’re putting huge targets on our backs.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We are.” Akira agreed. “It may also be the only way we find a way home. The news may have made us a sensationalized story, but people don’t really care that much yet. ‘It’s just a bunch of kids hiding in the shadows, it’s not like it’ll impact </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. As soon as we do a daytime patrol though we’ll be a bigger issue, something people can’t ignore anymore. If we get more attention from the heroes we may also get one of the most valuable sources of intel too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After thinking for a second Makoto’s expression hardened. “Don’t tell me you mean villains. If we get more attention from heroes villains will pay attention too, is that what you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course.” Akira stared back. “Villains have connections, and if this is anything like our world, there’s someone behind the scenes with power too. Someone who could have the ability to send us back to our own reality.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t seriously be saying we should associate with murderers.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Intel gathering can be done in a multitude of ways” Futaba cut in. “If given access to technology I could plant a bug, we could even get confessions from people we beat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joker’s smile spread across Akira’s face again. “Exactly, we don’t need to do anything unethical. Not using the villains would limit the information we can get. Why not use those terrible people then? It’s like using the info we get from a person’s shadow to find the next one we need to take down.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I still think it’s too much of a risk.” Makoto held her ground. “Remember, we can still be injured or die.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It may be our only chance. If it proves to be a problem we can stop at any time, plus this still requires a vote. Even if I think it’s the best decision ”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.” Morgana agreed. “Does anybody need a little more time before they vote?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After nobody spoke up they held the vote. After everybody but Makoto voted for a daytime patrol she gave in, being the final vote in favor. Despite his outward confidence, Akira was still nervous about the patrol. As the team got ready for bed he thought about the situation. It would likely be dangerous, especially with the new group after them. He would have to ask Futaba about who would probably be after them during the daytime. Of course, then he would have to set up a team to fight them. Ann was a given, dormina would be so powerful when it came to incapacitation without injury. Maybe Yusuke would be a good second choice, freezing was a slightly more harmful way to take someone out, but it would still work. Morgana would be useful to have, healing was always an important skill to have, but the police may not be aware of him yet. Would it be a good idea to bring Haru as well? It could be, he thought, staring up at the ceiling. Slowly his thoughts trailed off as he fell into sleep, awaiting the many days of planning that were soon to come.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was finally time. They had been silent for almost a week while setting up their big reveal to the public. They wanted this to be perfect. The plans were thought up by Akira and Makoto, the latter still having some reservations about the whole idea. Yusuke watched videos of hero debuts with Futaba, ranting to the entire team about aesthetics and timing. The debut team trained with each other as well, working on not only physical abilities but communication and teamwork as well. They weren’t sure if they were ready but it was as good as it could get.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An electric buzzing in the teams’ ear appeared and with it came Oracle, “Store robber running. Three blocks forward, seven to the left. Heading to your right. Should be able to catch ‘em between blocks three and five.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With that the team was off, running and hopping on rooftops like it was the first thing they ever did. Few people saw them. Most too busy with their lives to notice, others not caring. The few that did, however, wondered about what they were seeing. Dark clothed individuals crossing roofs meant one of two things at this time of day, villains or heroes. Although some were intrigued none thought enough to call another hero. And so they went on with their lives, none the wiser.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The thieves found who they were looking for while a few blocks away, seeing the large man, barreling through people with a bag overly filled, running where Oracle said he would. He didn’t have any visible mutations, though his normal body definitely was large and strong enough to overpower the average person in the streets. He was approaching the building they were standing on, trying to get away before anybody stopped him. Fear was in his eyes, though most weren’t able to look long enough to see it. The thieves found their chance as he kept running past.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joker was the first to jump down, landing a few feet in front of the robber, the ever-present smirk on his face. The man did not stop, however, he made a sharp turn and continued running, not seeing the three other figures jumping down towards him. In a blur of dark blacks and bright reds he fell, shallow cuts decorating his body along with harsh bruises. Falling to the ground groaning in pain, he tried to push himself back up, terrified of being caught. Instead, he was met with a concussion and unconsciousness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Facing the crowd of silent onlookers and victims, Joker announced, “Hello. I am Joker,  leader of the group known as the Phantom Thieves.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A murmur passed through the crowd, as they looked at Joker in surprise. The thieves knew what would happen now, some people would start yelling questions or insults, while others were already calling the heroes. Being a well-known outlaw brings a lot of different reactions out of people, from excitement to fear, even respect and resentment. They likely only had a couple of minutes before heroes arrived, and due to their near-omnipotent navigator, they would know who it was before the fight. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To Joker’s left stood Panther, skin-tight fiery red latex catsuit on display alongside the matching whip and submachine gun. To his right was Fox, his weight shifted on one foot as he framed the defeated villain between his fingers, Katana delicately set on his side. Behind him his most loyal companion stood, Mona, smirking at those around him, especially those staring at his odd form with the usual mix of confusion and shock. They stood together as a unit, ready for whatever could come at them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oracle came over their connected channel, not bound by radio waves or anything primitive like that. “Alright, the first hero is coming. It’s Present Mic, the sound guy. Joker told me he had a plan for this so you’ll probably be good. He’s about a block behind you guys so be prepared for him to attack at any moment.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They continued soaking up the mixed looks and glances, waiting for the sign of attack. Although not obvious, their stances changed, ready to move and strike at any time. Finally, Oracle gave the signal and they leaped into action, moving quickly away from where they were standing. They heard the ear-shattering yelling, though they escaped with only minor ringing. Now in front of them stood the radio host, decked out in his full hero gear as he stared them down. People were finally moving, realizing that this was about to become an actual fight instead of a one-sided blood bath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! You’re those vigilantes I’ve been hearing about aren’t ‘cha!” The booming voice of the hero yelled, “Can you guys turn yourselves in so we don’t have to fight? I don’t want to hurt you guys, but you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> still breaking the law!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of answering outright the thieves readied themselves, shifting into a fighting stance as Present Mic frowned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww, man! I really thought you’d take it! Sorry about this then!” He ended his speech with another screech, still not hitting anybody as they jumped away once more. In their ears they heard Oracle go over the closest heroes, estimating when they would arrive. Joker listened to very little of it, dodging and giving commands to his teammates, only hearing the times. The closest hero was about fifteen minutes away, if they could end it in ten they could escape easily. Could they beat a pro hero in ten minutes though?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In five minutes not much progress was made. For a range based fighter, he had a surprising amount of skill in hand to hand combat. Panther could push him back with her range advantage close-quarters, but Fox, Mona, and Joker had trouble getting in, Joker only placing one shallow cut on his arm. Their own ranged firepower was limited and slow as well, only having access to some low-level skills and abilities. They made due though, a few fire, ice, and wind skills hitting the hero as he nearly burst their eardrums at any opportunity he had.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joker knew this would go on seemingly forever, the reinforcements coming not helping their chances of winning. He had gone over plans before, thinking of what troubles could come from facing any number of heroes they could have come across. He didn’t have many plans for Present Mic, most were banking on weak close-ranged skills. There was one plan though, although slightly risky, that would at least guarantee escape. After one final look at their situation, he put it into action.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jumping away from a blast of sound towards his teammates he said, just loud enough for Fox to hear, “Step back and take out the machine on his chest.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fox gave a small nod before sneaking out of the hero’s sights. With one look towards his fellow thieves, they understood and relentlessly attacked. They jumped around, attempting to distract Present Mic with erratic movement and combined attacks. Most were dodged, a few attacks from the hero landing as well. One particularly devastating blow nearly took Panther out entirely, Mona expending a lot of strength to recover her shattered eardrums, blood still showing around her ears. All of a sudden they all jumped away, Present Mic standing in the middle of the street, wide open. A single sound was heard, a gunshot, the destruction of machinery being the next thing anyone could hear. Fox stood, staring down the pro hero, smoke coming off the barrel of his gun as the support item fell off his enemy’s neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A moment of shock was all that was needed though, Panther quietly casting one more attack to end the fight. As bubbles rose from beneath his feet Present Mic began to feel tired, then a little more, then a little more. He had to keep fighting, he was right there in front of the vigilantes! But he could also… take a nap instead. They’d probably be there when he woke up, right? And the nap would only be short, no longer than thirty minutes. Maybe an hour. Maybe longer, actually. Before he could figure out what was happening, the radio star fell asleep at the hands of the Phantom Thieves. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oracle’s voice buzzed in their ear again, “It seems like you’ve gotten him down? Good, we have a few minutes to spare before anyone gets there. I’ll lead you through your escape.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And so they ran, splitting apart as they fled the scene. They ducked between stores, into alleys, and away from prying eyes as they slowly stopped being Phantom Thieves. Each individual member moved back towards their apartment while taking as long as possible. If anyone was following them they would either lose their stalker at some point or bore them into leaving. By the time they got home, the adrenaline wore off leaving the field team in various forms of complete exhaustion. Morgana was already asleep on the couch by the time Akira got there, though Yusuke and Ann looked pretty close to the same point. They decided to celebrate the next day, everybody wanting to sleep and see how the news would react before getting too excited. As Akira started slipping easily into unconsciousness he kept looking for something they did wrong, something that would screw them over in the future. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The next day’s news was filled with nothing but Phantom Thieves. Every headline, every story, every news station. The thieves themselves were ecstatic, they were in the eyes of the public. There was no ignoring them. Eyes were on them from heroes to villains, and they would take advantage of it. They could find sources of information or sources could find them. It was great. Slowly throughout the day relief spread through the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji being the first and Makoto being the last to feel it. Akira felt a great sense of pride for his team, though he was still stressed about any mistakes they could have made. Any slip-ups or failures that would send them directly to jail no questions asked. Nearing the end of the day after their big debut he finally started to relax. There was nothing to worry about, after going over it five times in his head he still couldn’t find a point where they made a major mistake. Everything would be fine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Until Oracle spoke, “I know you’ve told me blackmail is wrong before, but I swear this time it was an accident.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>God damn it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This place exists between dreams and reality, crack and fluff. Oh yeah, and writing action is hard. It took me like a week just to hype myself up to do it. Also, rip posting but finals and the hell that is kinda destroyed me. I'm all over the place on posting dates because I knew where I wanted this to go and then it was already too long to add the next part so I had to cut it off early and that messed with how I was writing so my brain kicked out all motivation. Should be good now though. Also I'm making a twitter and putting it in the end of chapter notes so I don't die for most of a month and reappear out of nowhere.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please leave any criticism in the comments, I'm writing this to improve. It also happens to be incredibly self indulgent but ehhh</p><p>Twitter for when I'm too dead to update but don't wanna disappear for a month: <a href="https://twitter.com/ContinuousConf1">https://twitter.com/ContinuousConf1</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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